“…What am I to do? How am I to know which brand is completely good/sustainable? And if I buy something of that brand second-hand, will that be so much better? Or do I help to maintain the idea that such items are desirable, keep their value? Like second-hand fur (which I never buy). I don’t know, I am really confused.” – Greetje

Three Things A Fashion Lover Can Do To Help Save Our Planet

1.  Anything you buy secondhand will be better for the earth.

New resources aren’t utilized to create it. Trying your best to shop secondhand first is the easiest way to have a clear conscience that you are making a personal effort to curb the destruction of the only home we have.

The quality of pieces you can find secondhand will astound you.

If you don’t have the time to shop secondhand yourself you can always shop consignment stores which will have a more curated selection. You can also shop secondhand online via Poshmark, Thred Up, Ebay and Etsy. Most of the pieces I find for my Etsy store are bought via thrift.

Here are a couple of my recent secondhand finds…

2.  Educate Yourself

Remaining oblivious to the reality isn’t a choice anymore. Knowledge is power. Taking responsibility for our choices and educating ourselves and others is the best course of action.

We are on the Titanic now. One can look away from the iceberg, ignore it, keep eating our lovely meals, dancing away wearing our beautiful clothes but in the end we all know how that story ends.

Here are some documentaries and articles I recommend for educating yourself about the perils of our obsession and overconsumption of fashion:

River Blue

The True Cost available on Netflix

The High Cost of Fast Fashion

Are Your Clothes Wrecking The Planet?

Luxe: Les Dessous Chocs (in French)

Fast Fashion: Inside The Fight To End The Silence On Waste

Shop Less, Mend More

Clothing Fabrics: How Sustainable is Your Wardrobe?

3.  Buy Less

Ultimately consumption is the enemy. Taking small steps towards reducing your fashion consumption will not only benefit the earth but your pocketbook as well.  Understanding what fuels our desire to consume will help you better control your spending habits.

95% of the time we don’t buy because we need something, we buy because of how it makes us feel.

Buying is based on emotion. You are never buying what you think you are buying, you’re buying into a lifestyle, an ideal, a dream of what you want your life to be. We buy aspirationally.

Every time you feel the desire to purchase something new ask yourself these questions:

Do I need this?

How will this improve my life?

Can I buy this used instead?

Is this better than what I already own?

Am I anxious, unhappy, bored, sad and buying this to make myself feel better?

How do I feel knowing that acres of land/water/resources were destroyed in order to make this piece?

Will this have any meaning for me when I look back on my life?

Ultimately you will need to decide for yourself if you want to be part of the solution or part of the problem.

I leave you with one last thought…

Linking up with Patti for Visible Monday, Turning Heads Tuesday and Fancy Friday